"Mm?"
After deciphering the formation, Xiao Rongyu frowned slightly. A trace of doubt surfaced in her phoenix-like eyes. While comprehending the array, she had vaguely sensed a greedy, malevolent gaze peering from within the Scripture Pavilion.
The thought felt absurd.
The Yin Dynasty had been destroyed for hundreds of years. No one could possibly live that long—unless they were saints. And if a saint of the Yin Dynasty were still alive, it would be impossible for them to remain hidden until now.
"An illusion," she murmured softly.
"I must be overthinking it."
Suppressing her thoughts, Xiao Rongyu slowly closed her eyes again and focused on breaking the formation.
Most of the day passed.
Bo—!
Ripples spread outward from her body. The trapping formation shattered layer by layer, gradually collapsing. When the final rune dissipated, Xiao Rongyu did not immediately enter the Scripture Pavilion. She paused briefly, then stepped inside.
"Tsk…"
Dark. Damp. Cobwebs everywhere.
No one had come here for hundreds of years. The interior of the pavilion had long fallen into decay, yet the bookshelves remained neat and orderly, rows upon rows of ancient texts still perfectly arranged.
At the entrance stood a table and chair. Beside them lay a pair of withered bones, motionless—clearly someone who had died too suddenly to even react.
"What a pity," Xiao Rongyu sighed inwardly.
Her gaze shifted to the scriptures on the shelves.
A flicker of joy appeared in her beautiful eyes.
Even though she knew that true core inheritances of the Yin Dynasty would never be stored here, confirming that the foundation was intact still filled her with delight. Even if the upper sections had flaws, the lower portions alone were already invaluable.
"Jie jie!"
"Little girl!"
Suddenly, a ghostly bone claw shot out from behind Xiao Rongyu—fast and vicious, leaving almost no time to react.
Crack!
The self-defense jade talisman on her body shattered instantly. A protective light shield enveloped her, and the bone claw slammed into it, knocking her backward.
"So there really is someone here!" Xiao Rongyu's pupils shrank.
When she had been deciphering the formation outside, she had sensed that sinister gaze. She had dismissed it as an illusion, but still remained vigilant. She hadn't expected to be attacked the moment she entered.
"Huh?"
"A Donglin Sect talisman?"
In the darkness of the Scripture Pavilion, a strange shadow was cast against the wall, revealing a twisted, smiling face. As the shadow peeled away, an illusory figure emerged in midair, its evil eyes filled with curiosity.
Its gaze slowly swept over Xiao Rongyu's delicate features as it licked its lips greedily.
"I've been trapped here for hundreds of years without tasting blood. And now such a tender little girl delivers herself to my door… truly good luck."
"Demon Cult!"
"A demon clan member!"
Xiao Rongyu instantly recognized the figure's identity, her pupils contracting sharply. She never imagined that the demon clan—long vanished from the Eastern Region—would reappear in the world, and in the Yin Ruins no less.
"Jie jie!"
"So you only recognize me as demon clan, not my true identity?" the figure chuckled darkly.
"It doesn't matter. I might as well tell you—my title back then was the Green Bull Demon Lord."
Boom!
Xiao Rongyu's heart trembled violently.
How could she not know that name?
During the Demon Extermination Conference, saints from multiple forces had joined hands to encircle and kill him. Yet not only had he survived—he had hidden himself in the Yin Ruins to escape death.
"Jie jie!"
"Little girl," the Green Bull Demon Lord continued, greed mixed with excitement,
"You still haven't told me—what is your relationship with the Donglin Sect?"
He had been gravely injured and forced into deep slumber within the Yin Ruins, sealed inside the Scripture Pavilion. Only as the formation weakened over time did he finally awaken—and now, a perfect blood offering had walked straight to his door.
A fifth-realm Human Emperor.
Strong enough to replenish his vitality. Weak enough to suppress with ease.
Perfect.
"Forbidden Technique."
"Phoenix Body."
Xiao Rongyu's expression turned solemn.
She burned her life essence and blood without hesitation, unleashing a power she had only used twice before—once for Elder Chu's safety, and once… now.
Boom!
Her cultivation exploded.
Sixth Realm of the Human Emperor.
Seventh Realm.
Eighth Realm.
Ninth Realm.
Peak of the Ninth Realm of the Human Emperor.
In an instant, her cultivation surged from the fifth realm straight to the peak. The Green Bull Demon Lord froze in shock, too late to stop her.
Boom!
Instead of striking him, Xiao Rongyu slashed her sword outward. A blazing wave of flames erupted, sweeping away the heavy fog and surging toward the outside world.
Not far away—
The Tianji Sect Master.
The Immortal Sect Master.
The Shenxing Sect Master.
All frowned as their gazes snapped toward the disturbance.
"Xiao Rongyu of the Donglin Sect… who forced her to this extent?"
"Yin Ruins!"
"There's a demon clan member here!"
Her roar thundered across the ruins.
Boom!
Zhenwu Sect Master Lu Nantian's pupils shrank. Almost instinctively, he transformed into a streak of light and rushed toward the Scripture Pavilion, no longer caring whether he would provoke the hidden terrors of Yin Ruins.
Jiang Zhenshan, head of the Jiang family.
Chu Yaoyao, leader of the Goddess Sect.
The Nangong clan head.
The Shenxing Sect Master.
The Tianji Sect Master.
The leaders of the six holy places and the two ancient families almost simultaneously turned into streams of light and rushed over.
In the Eastern Region, the words demon clan were taboo.
No matter the grudges between sects, once the demon clan appeared, everything else came second. The demon clan had to be exterminated first—this was unshakable consensus.
Even though the demon clan had disappeared for many years, stray demons still occasionally slaughtered cities and nations in remote lands. These leaders had often arrived too late, left only with fury and hatred.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In the blink of an eye,
Several supreme experts descended like blazing suns.